A few days ago, two cases of child abuse by supposed mothers were recorded in Anambra State; one in Nnewi and the other in Onitsha. While the one in Nnewi involved a nine-year-old girl reportedly abused by her guardian, that of Onitsha involved a seven-year-old boy said to have been battered by his aunt.

In the Nnewi incident, a 25-year old woman, Chinyere Ifesinachi, was said to have tortured her little house-help identified as Idinmachukwu for purportedly throwing her baby on the floor. The suspect, a native of Alor in Idemili South Local Government Area of the state married to an Enugu man, reportedly used both cane and pestle to inflict varying degrees of injury on the victim. As usual, she blamed the devil for the act, pleading for mercy.

The parents of the child had revealed that their little daughter was sent to live with the suspect after she was delivered of twins. The father said: “It was out of pity that we decided to send our little daughter to her after she was delivered of a set of twins, which made it really difficult for her to cope.

“Our daughter left us since March, but it is very unfortunate that barely two months of her stay in Onitsha, she got all kinds of ill-treatment from a woman who is supposed to be her guardian.”

While the dust raised by the ugly incident was yet to settle, another woman was said to have battered another underage child in Onitsha barely five days after. The suspect, Abigail Eguta, had reportedly brutalised his seven-year-old cousin over his inability to recite the English alphabet. The 24-yaer-old woman, who admitted inflicting injuries on the victim’s body, also accused the boy of eating the fish she bought for Sunday meal.

She said: “Actually, it was not my intention to flog him in the eyes or to make him blind; it was by mistake that the beating extended to his eyes. I am very sorry. Please, forgive me. It is the handiwork of the devil,” she sobbed.

The suspect, said to be a biological sister to the victim’s mother, however claimed she was beaten by her husband, a businessman, when he returned and saw what she did to the boy. The victim, simply identified as Sunday, was brought to the office of the Commissioner for Women Affairs in the State by some good-spirited individuals who rescued him from the suspect.

The source further said it was barely a year the victim, an out-of-school child, was brought to the suspect said to hail from Ikwo in Ebonyi State, but residing in Onitsha with her family. The visibly malnourished boy also sustained swollen eyes he could hardly see with, as well as bruises on different parts of his body.

Reacting to the Nnewi incident, the Com missioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, said the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Police Command, Awka, adding that the arrested suspect would be charged to court after investigations.

Appreciating those who raised the alarm that attracted her attention to the incident, Obinabo warned that anyone caught abusing any child in the state would face the consequences, just as she assured the victim of her safety, adding that she would not be returning to her guardian’s house after she was taken to hospital for medical examination. She also commended the police command for continued partnership with her ministry in ensuring such cases were handled professionally and in record time.

On the Onitsha incident, the Commissioner condemned the act, describing it as unjustifiable and unacceptable. She decried rising cases of child abuse in the state, regretting that such heartlessness was becoming rampant among young mothers.

“One wonders why many guardians will have the minds to treat someone else’s children who are in their custody as if they are animals while they pamper their own children,” she said.

While reprimanding the suspect for what she described as “wickedness against another person’s child”, Obinabo reassured her Ministry’s commitment to fishing out and legally dealing with such wicked guardians in the state. She also ordered the transfer of the case to the Anambra State Police Command for proper investigation, after which the suspect would be charged.

Meanwhile, the victim has been taken to an undisclosed hospital in Awka for proper medical attention. Also reacting, Executive Director, Gender Perspective and Social Development Centre (GPSDC), Eucharia Anekwe, described the ugly trend as annoying, stressing the need to declare state of emergency on violence against children and widows. She also advocated the establishment of a task force on gender based violence at state, local and ward levels to ensure that such incidents were nipped in the bud.

She said: “The wave of violence on children is on the high side now and of great concern to us. It is more annoying when you see young mothers being prime suspects. It is most annoying that these women have carried their own children under the nine-month labour, yet they have the mind to perpetuate such dastardly act.

“We’ve been pushing for a task force on gender-based violence at state, local and ward levels. This will not only ensure such incidents are nipped in the bud but that perpetrators are finished out before it escalates.

“Thank God that the governor and state judge instituted the gender-based violence courts at the magistrate and high court levels. At least the two are doing justice to the cases. There’s also the need to declare a state of emergency on violence against children, women and even widows.

A veteran journalist, Tony Okafor, called for government legislation banning infants from serving as house helps in the state. He also canvassed for the establishment of bodies saddled with the responsibility of regulating engagement of house helps and sundry services in the state.

He said: “The two cases involved are about infants. Therefore, there should be government legislation banning infants from serving as house helps in the state. This will make it a strict liability offence for anybody engaging the services of an infant as house help.

“Again, government can go ahead to institute a body that will officially regulate the engagement of house helps and sundry services in the state. This will make it easy for government to have a register of house helps and punish accordingly those who engage in illegal engagement of such services, ditto maltreatment of such persons.

“Beyond these, there should be an unencumbered free education for children in the state from primary to junior secondary school levels. Findings have shown that ‘legal and illegal’ levies in primary schools in the state have made it excruciatingly difficult for parents to see their children through basic education, hence the resort to sending out their children and wards as house helps.”

On his part, Executive Director, Catch Them Young Community Initiative (CATYCOI), Nonso Orakwe, said it was high time the child’s act/law on parents that abuse children was brought to the fore. He also called on the Ministry of Women Affairs to develop a system where those with the intention to enjoy the services of a house help would secure approval from government to enable both parent and government checkmate the ugly trend.

“The rate of child abuse in Anambra State is seriously alarming. Parents should take ownership of their children by training them by themselves. It’s quite annoying to see some barbaric attitude from some parents on some children who are there to assist them at home.

“This is the time to dust a child’s act/law on the parents that abuse these children. Parents who know they cannot take care of their children should not give birth to them or take them as house helps. The Ministry of Women Affairs should develop a system where anyone that wants to get a house help will apply and get approval from the government. This will enable both the parent and government to checkmate this ugly trend,” he said. (The Nation)

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